The Butterflies and Birds of North Macedonia

Tour Code: MKD01

A pioneering 8-day natural history holiday to a little-visited corner of the Balkans in search of North Macedonia's butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

9 days from
£1,895 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,745
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

The Republic of North Macedonia is the most southerly of the six republics that together comprised the former Yugoslavia, and one of Europe’s best destinations for butterflies. Our tour is timed to coincide with peak butterfly season and by visiting two contrasting localities, we hope to maximise our sightings. After a flight to the capital, Skopje, we drive south to Bitoli, situated at the foot of the impressive Baba Mountains. From here we will explore a wide range of altitudes in the Pellister National Park and on the Galicica Plateau in search of butterflies including Balkan Fritillary, Esper’s Marbled White, Balkan Copper and Grey Asian Grayling. Birds to look out for include Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Rock Bunting and Black-eared Wheatear. For the second half of the holiday, we will move to the historic town of Kavadarci, our base for three nights. Here we will explore the surrounding lowland habitats of the Vardar Valley in search of a wonderful range of fritillaries, skippers, blues and other Lepidoptera as well as enjoying the eagles, warblers and other birdlife around us. 

  • Over 200 butterfly species recorded in North Macedonia 
  • 4 nights in the foothills of the Baba Mountains & 3 nights in the Vardar Valley
  • Zephr & Chapman’s Blues, Southern Comma & Grayling, near Vardar Valley
  • Look for Twin-spot & Marbled Fritillary, Purple Emperor & Southern Festoon
  • Bee-eaters, Woodchat Shrike, Rollers & Griffon Vultures
  • Visit Roman ruins of Stobi & UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ohrid
  • Asphelodine liburnica Greek Hellebore & Viola orphanidis among rare plants
  • Search for Eastern Short-tailed & Ripart’s Anomalous Blues
  • Freyer’s & Balkan Fritillaries plus Yellow-banded Skipper amongst special species
  • Led by expert naturalist guides

Grading

Grade A/B. Easy to moderate day walks only.

Although the Republic of North Macedonia is largely unknown to those of us in western Europe with an interest in natural history, it is an extremely rich and exciting wildlife destination. The most southerly of the six republics that were previously a part of Yugoslavia, North Macedonia boasts an impressive variety of habitats and scenery, from the high, forested peaks of the Baba Mountains to the hot, rolling plains of Pelagonia. This hidden jewel of the Balkans is also one of Europe’s very best destinations for butterflies. To date, over 200 species have been recorded in this small, land-locked country and we can expect to see around half of these on this pioneering tour, as well as an exciting diversity of birds and other wildlife. Our holiday is timed to coincide with the peak butterfly season — a time when the mountains should be clear of snow and full of the higher altitude species, yet before the heat of the lowlands really kicks in. Highlights will be many and varied, but may include such delights as Balkan Fritillary, Macedonian Grayling, Grecian Copper, Little Tiger Blue, Russian Heath, Balkan Marbled White and Lattice Brown.

We begin our holiday with a flight to Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital city, from where we head south to Bitola, a journey of about three hours. Set at the foot of the Baba Mountains, which rise to nearly 2,500 metres, Bitola will be our base for our first four nights as we focus our attention on the upland wildlife of the Pelister National Park and Galicica Plateau. The region’s excellent network of roads and tracks will allow us to explore a range of altitudes from the forested lower slopes of the mountains to heights of 1,500 metres. Here, far above the tree-line, the scenery is spectacular and we can look down upon Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, the two largest natural lakes in the Balkans. At this altitude the alpine meadows should still be awash with a colourful display of rare plants including Asphodeline liburnica, Silene longiflora, Viola orphanidis, Greek Hellebore (Heleborus cyclophyllus) and Rindera graeca. Such a wide range of altitudes will offer us a wonderful variety of butterflies, amongst them Powdered Brimstone, Eastern Wood White, Esper’s Marbled White, Balkan Copper, Ripart’s Anomalous Blue, Eastern Short-tailed Blue, Great Sooty Satyr, Balkan Fritillary, Freyer’s Fritillary and Yellow-banded Skipper. This is also one of the few places in Europe where Grey Asian Grayling can be found during the summer months. Birds to look for include Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Syrian Woodpecker, Black-eared Wheatear, Alpine Accentor, Rock Bunting and Water Pipit, and we must ensure that our eyes are turned skyward from time to time in case a Golden Eagle should drift by.

During our time in the mountains we will take a short break from the butterflies, birds and other wildlife to visit the small historic town of Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set on the shores of the lake with the same name. For the second half of our holiday, we will move to the historic town of Kavadarci where we will be based for our final three nights. During our time here we will explore the lowland habitats in the vicinity of the beautiful Vardar Valley: the dry limestone hills bisected by the Babuna, Demir Kapija and other gorges … and the rough fields, pastures and wooded river valleys that provide a mosaic of habitats rich in butterflies, birds and other wildlife. Typical butterflies include Tufted Marbled Skipper, Zephr and Chapman’s Blues, Southern Comma, Delattin’s Grayling, Twinspot and Marbled Fritillaries, and Lesser Purple Emperor. There is also the chance of a late Eastern Festoon! The birdlife is equally diverse and, with colourful Beeeaters hawking for insects overhead and Woodchat Shrikes and Rollers adorning roadside wires, we will be looking out for Black Stork, Griffon Vulture, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Booted Eagle, Rock Thrush, Subalpine Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Black-headed Bunting and such east European specialities as Masked Shrike, Levant Sparrowhawk, Western Rock Nuthatch and Olive-tree Warbler. There will also be the opportunity to learn about North Macedonia’s fascinating history with a visit to the ancient Roman ruins of Stobi, the best preserved archaeological site in the country.

Finally, we must return to Skopje where we say farewell to this beautiful, unspoiled corner of the Balkans and embark on our journey home.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Skopje and transfer Bitola
Day 2/4
Bitola
Day 5/7
Kavadarci
Day 8
Fly London
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Simple, but comfortable, hotels with private facilities throughout.

  • Food:

    All included in the price.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 19th Jun – Fri 27th Jun 1 £1,995
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,745
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£245
Thu 26th Jun – Fri 4th Jul SPACES £1,895
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,745
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£245 
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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Butterfly Watching Holidays Led by Expert Naturalists


Who can fail to be delighted by butterflies – the intensity and variety of their colours, their delicate beauty and fascinating life cycles? Our tours allow butterfly-watching enthusiasts to observe marvellous species all around the world. Sadly, butterflies are in decline in many regions. To help prevent the loss of these beautiful creatures, our butterfly holidays make a direct contribution to their conservation.




Naturetrek Butterfly Tours


    

  • We offer an excellent range of dedicated butterfly holidays
    • 

  • All tours are led by a Naturetrek butterfly-watching expert
    • 

  • Although butterflies are the main focus of our butterfly tours, we also take time to observe other wildlife
    • 

  • By booking one of our dedicated butterfly holidays you will automatically be making a contribution to their conservation.
    • 



Here’s a selection of our dedicated butterfly tours:
Although we include butterfly-watching in many of our holidays, we offer a wide selection of dedicated butterfly tours, including:



Naturetrek & Butterfly Conservation 
As a top category ‘Gold’ corporate sponsor of Butterfly Conservation (BC), we donate around £1,500 annually to the charity. As well as this, since 2002 we have donated 10% of all income generated by our annual programme of butterfly tours that we run in partnership with BC, and give BC membership to all non-members joining the tours.




Our specialist recommends...







"I'd recommend Naturetrek's Butterflies of South Africa holiday. On this butterfly holiday we look for butterflies in the Wajkkerstrom (montane grassland), which supports a wonderful diversity of species. Closer to home I'd suggest our Butterflies of Hungary tour, or Butterflies of Croatia for unspoilt landscapes and a density of butterfly-life rarely seen in western Europe now." 

Tom Brereton - Operations Manager




 


All Butterfly Watching Tours



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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!